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Letters Patent No. 77,816, dated lllag/- 12, 1868 IMPROVEMENT IN FIRE-PROOF SAFE.

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TO ALL WHOM .I'l MAY CONCERN: Y y

' Be it'lrnown that I, AUG-UST W. Huhn, otsthe city of Chicago, in the county oli; Cook, :in'd Sta-te of Illinois,

have invented a new and useful Fire-Proof Box; and I do hereby declare that the following is a'full and exact description thereof', referencc'bcing hadto the accompanying drawinfrs,tniaking part of this specification, in which' i I" Figure 1 represents longitudinal sections of the case and box.

Figure 2, the plan ot' the box when open andthe face-plate removed.

Figure 3 isthe plan of the faceplate, *and* l Figure 4 is a section of the valve of the evaporator.

Similar letters of reference denote the similar parts ofthe box in several gnres.

The object of my invention is to provide inexpensive and eliicient tire-proof boxes of any size for family use, oiees, &e.;.and the nature of the invention consists in putting the box containingvaluables,or other articles or material,.into another incre spacious case, leaving enough of space between the two, and placing into the said space a tubular water-evaporator, and lling the balance of the space with common salt or other nonconducting heat substance. The boxes and all are made of metal. c

To enable others skilled 'in the art to which my invention appertains to make use of said invention, I will proceed to describe'its construction and operation. I u

i A is the outer case or box. B is the interior box, into which the objects to be preserved from tire are placed. 'GMC are low partitions, on which rest box 13 and the water-evaporator D, made of straight 'or'coiled pipes, or arranged in s'ino other suitable manner. It is yprovided with a vent or air-hole, d, stopped with a screw, pin, faucet, or anyvother suitable device, and a valve, E, consisting of a tube, pin, and coiled spring, and

screwed into thc evaporator/s tube, or arranged in soine other suitable .manner answering the saine purpose. S is salt, with which the rest ot"tlie space between thebox B and case A is lled. Y v

The upper edges of the box and case are provided with grooves, ff, and the edges of their lids are provided with sharp projecting rima-gg, to fit thegroovesff, when theboxes are shut; this, for the purpose o f prevent-v ing steam, water, or even a blaaeot` tire from' penetrating into the interior of the boxes, i There is a collar, G, around boxB, to support the plate H, which fits the space between box B of case A, and supports the case I, placed in the lid of the case A. I l l i i The case I, made of sheet meta-l, is so shaped as to tit into the space above the plate H and into the lid A and is provided with a lid, 17, hinged to the same, 6r itinay-bearranged in some other convenient way. A waterevaporator, K, arranged similarly to that of the caso A, is placed into the case I, and thc icst of the space in c case filled with salt. v

Proper-locks and hinges are provided for securing the case A and the box B, as also handles b b.,

The operation consists in this: That evaporator D is llod with distilled water and placed in the ease, and all the space around box B is iillod with salt; then the plate H is put on; then the case I is-taken out of' the lid A', and an evaporator, K, is put in and the case filled with sait, also, and `fitted over the box B, 'when lid A is adjusted and caso A locked.

When thc box is subjected tothe fire, the salt commences to warm,and becoming hot, warms the evaporator, and the vapors escaping through its valve, E, mix with salt, dissolveit, and absorb heat for considerable time, preserving box B and its valuables uninjured.` l 4 y Other bad conductors ot` heat iii-ay be used, substantially for the saine purpose, in combination with the `evuporators, but common salt is preferred by nie for its cheapncss, and being in general use.

Wha-t I claim asiniy invention, and desire to'secure by Letters Patent., is-

The {irc-proof box, consisting of case A and box B, cach constructed 'and arranged, and both coinbined as described, the spaces between the saine boing provided with water-evaporators, arranged in the manner herein described, or in any other suitable uiaiincr, and filled with tine salt or other bad conductor of heat, siiostantially answering the purpose herein specified, all combined and operating substantially as herein shown and described,

and for the purposes set fort-li. v AUGUST W. HERR.

Witnesses:

J. B, TuneHlN, L. H. LANE. 

